1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to an improved method and system for downloading fonts, and in particular to a method and system for downloading encrypted font scripts to a print server. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a method and system for downloading encrypted double-byte font scripts from a data processing system that utilizes a bi-directional communications protocol to a print server which does not support the bi-directional communications protocol.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the development of printer systems, page-description languages have been developed which offer flexible font capability and high-quality graphics for printing. Currently, the most-well known of the page-description languages is POSTSCRIPT, which is a trademark of Adobe Systems. POSTSCRIPT fonts have been developed which are defined in terms of the POSTSCRIPT page-description language rules and are intended to be printed on a POSTSCRIPT-compatible printer.
POSTSCRIPT compatible printers typically utilize an ADOBE POSTSCRIPT Interpreter to support printing of POSTSCRIPT fonts. Typically, in order to print characters defined in POSTSCRIPT fonts, a script describing each character of the POSTSCRIPT font is downloaded to the POSTSCRIPT-compatible printer where the ADOBE POSTSCRIPT Interpreter utilizes the script to translate a printing image for each POSTSCRIPT character. The scripts for fonts may be loaded into a memory of the printer or in a print server that is dedicated to managing printers on a network. In this manner, the scripting is provided at the printer to support the font, for subsequent requests for the POSTSCRIPT font. Additionally, some PostScript fonts are encrypted and the printer must access the font script utilizing a decryption key downloaded with the encrypted font.
In the development of data processing systems, multiple operating systems (OSs) have been developed. In designing new operating systems, it is typical to provide support for existing operating systems by the new operating system. For example, the MACINTOSH (MAC) OS utilizes Printer Access Protocol (PAP) to govern communications between computers and printers where one function of PAP is downloading font scripts. MAC OS is a trademark of Apple Computers Corporation. WINDOWS NT is an example of an operating system that provides support for PAP communication whereby WINDOWS NT systems and MAC OS systems may communicate to download font scripts. WINDOWS NT is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
However, not all operating systems are enabled to support PAP. For example, the AIX OS does not support PAP communication with the MAC OS. AIX OS is a trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. However, the AIX OS may be utilized to control a print server. Therefore, from a MACINTOSH system, via traditional PAP communication, new font scripts cannot be downloaded to a print server controlled by the AIX OS.
In the development of POSTSCRIPT fonts, characters which require two bytes per character to specify have been created. To support downloading these double-byte character POSTSCRIPT fonts, a double-byte character POSTSCRIPT font downloader (DBFD) has been provided which is compatible with the MAC OS. In particular, the DBFD supports downloading encrypted double-byte character POSTSCRIPT fonts to a printer or print server. In a general example, the DBFD software resides on a data processing system controlled by the MAC OS. The DBFD works by sending a request, via a PAP connection, to a POSTSCRIPT interpreter on a print server or printer with a request for at least one unique POSTSCRIPT interpreter identifier(ID). The POSTSCRIPT interpreter processes the request from the MACINTOSH and responds, via a PAP connection, to the MACINTOSH with at least one unique interpreter ID. The DBFD then utilizes the returned unique interpreter ID(s) to make a key for decrypting an encrypted POSTSCRIPT double-byte font script. Thereafter, the encrypted POSTSCRIPT double-byte font script and a decryption key are transmitted to the printer or print server where the encrypted POSTSCRIPT double-byte font script and the decryption key are stored. When the font is successfully downloaded, the POSTSCRIPT interpreter of the printer or print server may utilize the newly stored font script to print documents.
In some markets, MAC OS based systems access printers which are served by AIX based systems. In this case, there is a need for a method for downloading double-byte character fonts scripts and other custom fonts from the MAC OS based systems to the print server which is an AIX based system. In particular, there is a need for a method of communicating between a MAC OS based system which supports the DBFD software and an AIX OS based system which supports the PostScript interpreter.
In view of the foregoing, it is therefore one object of the present invention to provide an improved method and system for downloading font scripts.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved method and system for downloading encrypted font scripts onto a print server.
It is yet another object of the present invention to 1provide an improved method and system for downloading encrypted double-byte font scripts from a data processing system that utilizes a bi-directional communications protocol to a print server which does not support the bi-directional communications protocol.
In accordance with the method and system of the present invention, a communication element is interposed between a data processing system and a print server, where the print server does not support a bi-directional communication protocol utilized by the data processing system to download encrypted double-byte font scripts. The communication element supports data transmissions in both the bi-directional communication protocol and with the print server. To download a double-byte font script, the data processing system transmits a request to the print server through the communication element for an identifier from the print server. The print server transmits the identifier to the data processing system through the communication element. A decryption key for the double-byte font script is produced by the data processing system utilizing the identifier and downloaded with the encrypted double-byte font script to the print server through the communication element.
All objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed written description.